The present invention relates generally to lamps, and more specifically to vehicle lamps having an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) requiring heat dissipation.
Certain light sources, including LEDs, are useful in lamps, such as for passenger cars, high mount stop lamps, clearance/marker lamps, as well as heavy duty tractor and trailer lamps. Lamps may be used as combination brake, turn and tail lamps for heavy duty trucks and trailers. Ordinarily, however, for LED lamps this requires the use of multiple LEDs in order to satisfy the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108 lighting requirements. Moreover, such lamps must illuminate seventy-five (75) square centimeters of lens area to provide proper visibility. When LEDs are tightly spaced in an array, the junction temperature of the LEDs can significantly reduce the light output below legal requirements when the lamp is energized for an extended period of time.
While other lamps have attempted to use heat sinks to address this problem, the present invention provides excellent heat conductivity solutions to this problem while also providing other advantages.